Is anyone else feeling chili?

One of the reasons I love food so much is that it can be inspired by every aspect of our lives. This particular recipe was inspired by the season. Last week Nebraska got its first snow. It was a perfect first snow, just enough to remind us the winter season is upon us. Beautiful flurries that clung to the grass and trees and disappeared by the morning commute. The chilly weather got me in the mood for, well, Chili. And I'm sure no one will argue with me here, the BEST chili is grandma's chili. One of the many, many things I love about my grandma is that she isn't afraid of heat. She is never shy with the spices. Just like my grandma, this recipe is a little on the older side. If your not old school and don't feel like deboning a whole chicken and making your own broth or stock; feel free to buy a can of swanson's broth and use your favorite cut of chicken (cooked through of coarse).


White Chicken Chili

one whole chicken-boil, debone and dice
save 2 cups broth
16 oz Monterrey jack cheese- cube
12 oz pace salsa medium (or spicy if you like)
12 oz green enchilada sauce
2-15oz cans white northern beans and juice
4 oz diced green chilis and juice
1 small onion diced
1 1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
****If you like add one jalapeno (I dice mine with seeds for the heat)
****Also if you can get your hands on some hatch green chili's substitute a fire roasted chili for the canned diced green chili's

Sautee onion and jalapeno until tender, add all ingredents and cook until cheese is melted and all ingredents are melded together. This is also an awesome crock pot recipe, throw all the ingredents in before work and set to low or medium low (depending on your model) and let cook for 8 to 10 hours. Serve with sour cream, onions and fried tortilla strips, YUM!

Honey Love

As June comes to a close so does my love affair with honey. Well, that is a lie. My love of honey isn't going anywhere. However, my experiments with it are coming to a close. As I've mentioned before soup is my all time favorite food. If I had my choice I would open a restaurant that served only soup, maybe a few sandwiches or salads mixed in but ultimately soup. So I doubt it is a surprise to anyone that I felt compelled to make a soup starring honey. Let me tell you, this was not an easy task! I played around with the idea of several different co-stars for this soup and eventually decided it had to be a vegetable based dish. My next thought was to take it all the way, make it a completely vegetarian dish. So this one is dedicated to my favorite vegetarians Amanda, Richard, Mikie, Jaden, Josie, and little Ryleigh. (Ok, so every vegetarian I know is my favorite.) And they are truly inspiring people. I try to eat vegetarian a couple times a week and I recommend it to anyone who is attempting to up their intake of fruits and veggies. I promise you wont miss the meat for one or two meals and to be completely honest they will most likely be the healthiest, most wholesome, well balanced meals you eat that week.
Back to the soup. I decided picking a vegetable with a slightly sweet tone that the honey would complement would be the best choice. It had to be carrots, nothing else fit the criteria as well. The cauliflower has no real importance as far as complementing the honey. It just fairs really well with carrots and it just so happens that I only like cauliflower when it is in soup. This soup is wonderfully simple to prepare. The roasting of the vegetables can be slightly time consuming (40-50 mins) but don't skip this step! I realize the cook time could be drastically reduced by steaming or boiling the carrots and cauliflower but roasting is essential to the balance of flavors. The flavors from the roasted vegetables are delicious in their own right but its really the honey that binds it all together. The honey also makes this soup picky eater friendly. I would encourage parents to try this one on their children.

Roasted carrot and cauliflower soup with honey and chives

3-4 medium carrots
1 head cauliflower
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
4 cups stock or broth (vegetable)
honey
fresh chives
oil
salt and pepper

clean and cut carrots and cauliflower into bit size pieces. toss is oil and salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast is a 400 degree oven until caramelized on the outside and cooked through. In the mean time dice your onion and garlic and saute, add stock. When the vegetables finish roasting add to stock and puree. This soup will be a hearty one, thick and full bodied. Bowl soup and drizzle the honey over top. garnish with fresh chives. serves 4


Not in the mood for soup? start with the roasted veggies and instead of adding them to a stock, toss them in a kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment (or mash by hand if your super ambitious) a couple pats of butter and a drizzle of honey. Whip until smooth and serve as a side dish.

soup's on!

Pea Soup, doesn't sound to appetizing but oh man is it delicious. And this is the pea soup that first inspired my peas and pasta (check I'll have the pasta for the recipe). I remember first coming across a recipe for this soup in one of Jamie Oliver's cook books. He is my favorite chef and biggest career inspiration by far. I never doubt a recipe of his, I know it will be worth my while to try. For those of you unfamiliar with Jamie Oliver, first off check out his food revolution and second try ANY recipe that you find. His main mission is to make healthy food enjoyable and easy. Me, I love my veggies so I think that's why I find so much of his food appealing. Anyways, back to the soup. Creamy soups are my favorite, actually I think they are everyone's favorite. I mean what's not to like? Starting with the first look, rich and full, steam rising from the bowl. Creamy soups also tend to have more appealing colors, just slightly subdued from their vibrate vegetable state. And before you even taste them, you feel them. When that spoon first hits your lips and the velvety texture coats the inside of your mouth. The warmth spreads into your chest and you have no choice but to smile and take another bite. For me soup is wonderful enough to warrant a trip to the grocery store specifically for the ingredients needed. However, that's hardly ever necessary. Most people have everything they need at home. Just look in your fridge. That left over corn on the cob from your memorial day cookout, turn it into a mid-west chowder. Next time you have steak and baked potatoes, throw a couple extra spuds in the oven and wala! Ingredients for baked potato soup. Extra enchilada filling? add some tomato juice and now you have a fiesta soup for dinner. The possibilities are endless!